With the eleventh AAP MLA being arrested Sunday, the party has decided to up the ante and approach the Delhi High Court with a writ petition on the “false charges” levelled against its legislators. According to sources, the party is set to point out the manner of arrests made in each of the cases and cite how the courts have acquitted the accused MLAs.

As women legislators and the party’s youth and women wings prepare to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday at 11am, to bring to his notice the “neglect of women and child safety” in the capital, the party reiterated that Delhi Police was ignoring its “obligatory duty” of protecting the common man in a bid to “target” AAP MLAs.

Speaking to reporters, Delhi unit convenor Dilip Pandey said, “There is a pattern to the cases filed against our legislators and also in the manner in which they are arrested. We have to expose this and hence we will bunch all the cases and approach the HC. It must be noted than on an average, one MLA is being arrested per month. We have 56 more to go. Now we also have Punjab Police coming after us. Let Gujarat and Goa Police come in too. These are all acts of cowardice by Modiji, who has not been able to digest the (BJP’s) political drubbing in Delhi. No leader, MLA, minister or worker of AAP will be intimidated by this. I want to tell you (Modi) that you are strengthening our resolve further.”

Pandey cited court observations from all the previous bail orders of the arrested AAP MLAs.

“In Commando Surinder Singh’s case, the court said while granting bail that the case has been ‘actuated by political vendetta’ . This case fell flat on its face. In Somnath Bharti’s case, the allegations levelled against him by his wife were shredded to pieces by the court. On charges that her wrist was slit, the court said no such evidence was found in the medical report. She said his pet dog was made to attack her but it could not be proved during the investigation. On BJP’s instructions, this entire show was framed,” said Pandey.

He went on to speak of the arrest of MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi. “A day after being arrested, Tripathi was acquitted. The court said the facts and circumstances and prosecution witnesses failed to prove the case beyond doubt. The entire case was false and there was no evidence,” said Pandey.

“None of them could be proved in the court of law. In Amanatullah’s case, the police arrested him as though he were a wanted terrorist. The CCTV cameras in his house were turned away, he was dragged out of his room and not allowed to wear his slippers. The police misbehaved with his wife too. All this in a case where the complainant’s statement has been changed thrice. In the initial statements, Amanatullah was not even mentioned,” claimed Pandey.

Seemapuri MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “It must be noted that in each of the cases, when police know the charges amount to a bailable offence, the statement of the complainant is changed to ensure a non-bailable offence. As elected representatives, MLAs have to meet hundreds of constituents on a daily basis and to frame them is very easy. So we will approach the high court and seek its intervention.”